Stoltenberg confirms Ukraine could become NATO member

(QHA) -

Ukraine will become a member of NATO if it fulfills the criteria required for membership of the alliance, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this at a meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in The Hague.

"Our policy is the same. The door is open for countries which fulfill the criteria for becoming NATO allies. That's also valid for Ukraine," he said.

Stoltenberg said that the open-door policy had been successful for NATO and the countries that joined the alliance.

"I remember the summit in Bucharest where we decided that Ukraine will become a member, and that decision still stands, of course, providing that Ukraine fulfills the criteria for membership and providing that Ukraine so will," he said.

As reported, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that in the short term the partnership between Ukraine and NATO was possible, but not the membership.